Wednesday, October 8, 2008

How Obama can improve his debate style

My wife Amy pointed this out in the debate last night. When Obama is asked a question, he often responds by providing the evidence/explanation/details first, then getting to the main point (the "answer") at the end. It can certainly be perceived as talking around a question, and not directly answering it. But it's not something Obama is trying to do, and we think it's something pretty easy to solve. Just provide the short answer first, then explain it.

So, for example, "Is Russia an evil empire?" Answer: "No, because it's unproductive to call countries evil, and they're not an empire any more. But they've done some evil things..."

Or, "If Iran attacks Israel, should the US defend Israel militarily or wait for UN permission?" Answer: "Of course the US should be defend Israel militarily, and we don't need UN permission because it's a clear situation of collective self-defense. But let me explain my Iran policy that would make this scenario less likely..."

Don't get me wrong; Obama still won the debate handily last night.

1 comment:

Acrobat said...

Obama speaks in legal analysis format: Issue, Rule, Analysis, Conclusion.